News of an auction to sell 3,000 New Orleans properties at potentially rock bottom prices lit up the Internet last week, as would-be speculators and hopeful homeowners eyed a way to access the city's booming real estate market on the cheap. Real estate insiders, though, say buyers must read the fine print before they sign any deal involving a... Full story »

New Orleans Officials are planning to auction up to 3,000 tax-adjudicated properties in the city at potentially bargain-basement prices. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments and I will try to answer them for you. 1) When is the auction and how do I participate? The properties eligible... Full story »

Rules for New Orleans' "Mow to Own" program haven't been established yet, but this much is clear: Participants will have to pay full market price, despite previous plans to allow them to pay only a token amount in exchange for maintaining certain vacant lots. It's also not entirely clear how the program will mesh with the city's auction of 3,000... Full story »

Tax records for business personal property -- non real-estate assets that businesses are required to pay taxes on -- are now searchable online, thanks to recent upgrades of the Orleans Parish Assessor's website. Businesses owners can also now fill out their personal property tax declarations, known as LAT 5s, online. To help owners navigate the new process, Orleans Parish Assessor Erroll Williams and... Full story »

La Habana Hemingway, a popular cigar bar that has been operating illegally for several years in the French Quarter, will get a chance to keep its doors open, thanks to a vote by the New Orleans City Council Thursday (Feb. 26). The council's 6-1 vote set in motion a regulatory tweak that, if ultimately approved, would let La Habana... Full story »

A $1 billion Veterans Affairs hospital under construction in New Orleans is on track to begin receiving patients in 2016 and will eventually return the city's status as a Gulf Coast hub of veteran health care, officials said Tuesday (Feb. 24) during a visit from the VA's second in command, Sloan Gibson. The hospital project has been dogged in... Full story »

Veterans Affairs chief Robert McDonald, who recently apologized for fibbing about his military record, is an honest man who made a mistake, said Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson, a longtime friend and McDonald's right-hand man in the department. "He has the strongest moral compass of anybody I've ever seen," Gibson said. McDonald, who took over for as secretary of the... Full story »

The city of New Orleans is planning to auction off 3,000 tax-adjudicated properties this summer through an online sale, the first of its kind for the city, according to a news release. Buyers could be able to claim property for as little as $3,000. If successful, the auction would unleash a massive reinvestment into some of the city's most... Full story »

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in hot water for failing to properly fund public employee pensions, the same thing New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu did for several years to the city's retirement system for firefighters. The New York Times reported Monday that a judge ruled Christie broke the law when he failed to pay in full the state's 2015 annual contribution... Full story »

Marijuana is by far the least dangerous drug for users, when compared to other recreational drugs, according a new study outlined in The Washington Post and Salon. Researchers, who published their findings in Scientific Reports, calculated the average recreational dosage of a variety of drugs, then compared those levels to the amount of each drug that users would have to take to cause illness... Full story »

New Orleans Criminal District Court, haggard by service shutdowns in an ongoing political battle between the mayor's office and the court clerk, may soon return to something closer to full function. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration recently told Clerk Arthur Morrell that it would allow him to fill vacancies totaling $450,000 in this year's budget. Morrell had been under a de facto... Full story »

Cyclists and pedestrians may soon have a new voice in the New Orleans political scene, though the reach and influence of that voice remain unclear. City Councilman Jared Brossett is sponsoring a measure that would create a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Advisory Committee tasked with advising the council on safety, enforcement and transportation infrastructure for non-drivers. The City Council's transportation committee, which Brossett heads... Full story »

New Orleans' largest pension system fund failed to capitalize on a record-breaking bull market in 2014, documents show. The poor investment performance will likely push up the costs for the city, which is obligated to fund the New Orleans Municipal Employees Retirement System. How much extra the city will have to pay as a result of the poor investment... Full story »

Wobble Cop or Officer Cha Cha? Whose Mardi Gras mambo moved you most? Until Lions Gate Entertainment wakes up and options my script for "Step Up 6: Werking the Beat," we will have to content ourselves with this online reader survey. New Orleans police detective Winston Harbin opened strong with his version of the Wobble in 2014 and solidified his position by... Full story »

A string of potentially offensive floats in the Krewe of Druids parade last week provoked outrage on Twitter, but the racist and sexist overtones in question were downright subtle compared to the Comic Cowboys Mardi Gras parade in Mobile Tuesday (Feb. 17). The all male, historically all white, parading group -- motto: "Without Malice" -- is known for gleefully running past the limits... Full story »

Riders in the Jefferson Trucks parade sneaked smokes and got in a brawl Tuesday (Feb. 17), leading Jefferson Parish officials to remove their truck float from the Mardi Gras procession. Twitter user Evelynn Lugo told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune that she was right in front of a float as it passed the Jefferson Parish Council viewing stand near Causeway Bouleveard when... Full story »

A pair of float riders were taken to the hospital Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 17) after falling from truck floats in the Elks Jeffersonians Mardi Gras parade in Metairie , according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. A 24-year-old man fell from truck float 33 as it traveled along the 3400 block of Veterans Boulevard about 12:32 p.m. After hitting the ground, he... Full story »

Pop singer Ray J took a licking at the hands of his girlfriend during a recent visit to New Orleans, according to a report by the gossip site TMZ. Ray J, perhaps best known for being Kim Kardashian's co-star in a homemade sex tape, was in the city earlier this month when he was badly beaten in an incident with... Full story »

Watch your back, Wobble Cop. Officer Cha Cha is coming for you, and he wants everyone to know which badge has the best boogie on the Mardi Gras season parade route. The gauntlet was thrown down Sunday (Feb. 15) on Napoleon Avenue during the lull between the Thoth and Bacchus parades, said Brandy Veillon who was enjoying the afternoon on the Uptown New Orleans... Full story »